10 Tips to find a job abroad

During the last months the situation in Spain and other countries is getting worst by moments and specially for graduates & young professionals.

Being a graduate or young professional in one of these countries means that you're facing a 40% of unemployment between young people and about a 20% on average. Someone would say that this data shows a great future to Spain because it means that Spain has a long way to go till we reach our GDP growth limit (20% of work forces are not in use) but it also means, sincerely that WE (the young people) are fucked.

In Germany they have the opposite problem: their GDP (three times bigger than the spanish) will not grow anymore, the industries are full operated, and there's almost not unemployment (6.5% is due to structural unemployment and short time unemployment). That's the reason why Frau Merkel ask for spanish engineers. They need us to keep on growing and being one of the most powerful economies in the world.

So, in the following lines, I would offer you 10 Tips to help you find a job abroad.

1.- Learn the language. It is false that all the europeans speak English. That's just a tale. From the very beginning you will face situations when you have to communicate and you don't speak the language. In my case, the day I arrived in Germany I had a delay of 7 hours in Barcelona Airport so when I arrived at Hamburg Hfb I had to change my train ticket and nobody could speak with me in English, so imagine what would happen if you try to buy something in a shop or something like that.

2.- Meet inland people. Networking has always been a great source of information and job opportunities. Anyone could be a job advisor. You'll probably find lots and lots of people... tell always the same story. Try to engage them and pray they known someone in the company you want to work in. According to what I used to say: Everybody has an uncle/friend that works on...

3.- Register and get in contact with the local authorities. In Germany, for example, it is necessary to register yourself in the City Council (Rathaus). It's better to avoid problems =)

4.- Go to the next JobMesse-event. These events are roled all over the country and on very different dates. It's a perfect opportunity to know new companyes and look what are they looking for.

5.- Develop a really good CV. Remember that in some countries with equal opportunity policies they don't accept CVs with pictures! Take care of that!

6.- Start a document with all your Applications. It sounds really bad when someone calls you due to a job application and you can't remember the requirements and task for the job. So making a document where store all this information could be really useful.

7.- Use the international webpages for international mobility. I highly recommend to join EURES as a first step. EURES is the international webpage for professional mobility and it's full of job offers. As you get confident with the language you can start trying other webpages.

8.- Move to the country of destination. That is not cheap but remember that you're supposed to do interviews, so you must be there. Buy a new cellphone with a new number and write in your CV the new address. It helps!

9.- Try to join any professional association. If you're a member of any german association they would probably trust much more in you and in your qualifications. Search it on the web!

10.- Do not panic. It's normal to fail in the first attempt. But remember that Übung macht den Meister!